My random ramblings and stray reflections about anything from social justice and global/international issues to internship/job postings peppered with the occasional event info that might interest friends and foes alike.

Friday, October 20, 2006

Wow, what an awesome article. I read it in Haaretz, the Israeli newspaper and have been blown away. I've rarely read anything like this in Western newspapers - alas, probably because it is a critique on Western modernity?

Read on and please spread the word. I would also urge you to send a note of thanks to Bradley Burston, the author, who can be reached at BBurston@Haaretz.co.il

Targeting Muslims - the new Inquisition

Were I a Muslim living in the West, I'd be mad as hell. Not to mention terrified.

Were I a Muslim living in the West, I'd begin to believe that a new Inquisition had begun. An inquisition aimed at no one but Muslims.

Were I a Muslim living in the West, my wife, or my sister, or my daughter might well decide to wear a headscarf or a veil when she went out in public.

Perhaps it would be because she was tired of men and boys ogling her, objectifying her. Perhaps it would be because she felt she was entitled to her dignity. Perhaps she simply might prefer modesty and privacy to fashion slavery.

Perhaps she just thought it was a free country.

And perhaps, on that last point, she would have been mistaken.

For years, and especially since 9/11, law-abiding Muslims have been verbally and physically attacked across North America and Europe. They are scorned for their faith, shunned for their piety, falsely condemned for dual-loyalty, blamed for the crimes of terrorists they abhor.

Of late, however, there has been a disturbing new trend, particularly in Europe, where cabinet ministers and influential lawmakers have increasingly made it their mission to combat, of all things, the head scarf and veil worn by growing numbers of Muslim women and girls.

In Germany, the states of Baden-Wurttenberg and Bavaria recently introduced legislation to outlaw the wearing of head scarves in schools.

Bavarian Education Monika Hohlmeier said the head scarf was increasingly being used as a political symbol. To the understandable ire of Muslims, Hohlmeier went on to say that it was acceptable to wear Christian crosses or Jewish symbols.

In Spain, home to the original Inquisition, Minister for Social Affairs Juan Carlos Aparicio was quoted as having said that the Muslim veil was "not a religious sign but a form of discrimination against women," and having compared it to genital mutilation.

In Britain, the government minister for race and faith relations, Phil Woolas, was quoted this week as demanding that Muslim teaching assistant Aisha Azmi, 24, who refused to remove her veil at work, be fired for that reason.

"She should be sacked," Woolas was quoted as telling the Sunday Mirror. "She has put herself in a position where she can't do her job."

Azmi worked at the Headfield Church of England junior school in Dewsbury, which took pains to state that her suspension had nothing to do with religion.

The scarf issue had already taken center stage when former British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, now an MP and Leader of the House of Commons, voiced public objections to the wearing of the niqab, a full-face veil, at face-to-face meetings with his constituents.

The national debate has since widened, with David Davis, a top Conservative Party official, taking the anti-veil stance to a new level.

''What Jack touched on was the fundamental issue of whether in Britain we are developing a divided society,'' Davis said. ''Whether we are inadvertently encouraging a kind of voluntary apartheid.''

The anti-veil arguments dovetail with a parallel campaign, which takes as its premise the concept that Islam itself renders its adherents incapable of integrating into Western societies.

"If you are going to have Islamic schools, the question is whether they are going to embrace Western values," Patrick Sookhdeo, a Pakistan-born Anglican priest in England who converted from Islam, told the New York Times this month.

"I would argue that Islamic values are not compatible with Western values," he said.

And what Western values might these be? Are they the time-honored Western values of intolerance for people of color, suspicion and marginalization of non-Christians, fear and loathing of non-Whites? Exploitation of and contempt for the residents of former imperial possessions and colonies?

At this point, there will be a pause for the springloaded Islamophobes among us to suggest that it is any society's right and duty to protect itself against elements that may foment terrorism. There will be those who will argue that the veil may both mask and encourage extremism.

Perhaps it is time for us in the Western world to declare that Islam has a right to exist.

Perhaps it is time for us to recognize that non-violent, non-Judeo-Christian religious observance is a right, not an act of war.

Scarves don't explode. Veils do not kill. The niqab does not incite.

It takes courage to wear the veil in the West. Certainly, no one should be forced to wear it against her will. But those who do so voluntarily, have chosen to brave ridicule, and perhaps to risk their own livelihood. They have made a choice for self-respect, in the face of all that is vacuous in contemporary Western civilization, where the worship of the superficial has taken on the potency and universality of a state religion.

We in the West have allowed the veil to become the symbol of all that we do not know and do not trust about Islam.

In the Age of Paris Hilton, however, the West desperately needs women who devote themselves to serious pursuits, to the betterment of society, women who believe that self-esteem and dignity are worthy values. If they choose to wear a veil, and we take offense, that is wholly our problem. We have no business making it theirs.

7:00 p.m.Calling the Ghosts: A Story about Rape, War, and Women (Mandy Jacobson andKarmen Jelincic, 1996). A gripping account of the struggle for justice bytwo Bosnian women raped in a Serbian concentration camp. Precededby Red Rubber Boots (Jasmila Zbanic, 2000), a haunting portrayal of onewoman’s search for the remains of her family, who were killed by theSerbian army during the Bosnian war.

Friday, October 27

1:30 p.m.Hillbrow Kids (Michael Hammon and Jacqueline Gögen, 1999). A revealingconversation with street children in Johannesburg coping with thehardships of post-apartheid South Africa.

4:00 p.m.Southern Comfort (Kate Davis, 2000). A moving depiction of the lethal costof discrimination in the United States today, through the story of afemale-to-male transsexual who dies of ovarian cancer after repeatedlybeing denied medical treatment. Followed by a conversation with thedirector.

6:30 p.m.Children Underground (Edet Belzberg, 2001). An intimate look at the livesof abandoned and runaway youths who make their home below the streets ofBucharest, Romania. Followed by a conversation with the director.

9:00 p.m.Persons of Interest (Alison Maclean and Tobias Perse, 2003). Formerdetainees of South Asian and Middle Eastern descent who were arbitrarilyarrested and interrogated in the aftermath of September 11, 2001,tell their stories. Followed by a conversation with the directors.Preceded by Asylum (Sandy McLeod and Gini Reticker, 2003). A youngGhanaian woman seeks refugee status in the United States to escape thethreat of female genital mutilation.

3:30 p.m.Punitive Damage (Annie Goldson, 1999). After her son is shot by theIndonesian military in a mother sets out on a quest for truth and justicethat brings her to an American courtroom and puts the Indonesiangovernment on trial. Preceded by Still Standing: A Youth OrganizersTelevision (YO-TV) Documentary on Hurricane Katrina (2006). A poignantstory of the challenges faced by a Hurricane Katrina survivor sixmonths after the storm, documented by a group of student filmmakers.Followed by a conversation with the director and crew members.

6:30 p.m.My American Dream: How Democracy Works Now (Shari Robertson and MichaelCamerini, work-in-progress). An exploration into the lives of 24 peopleengaged in the struggle surrounding U.S. immigration policy. Followedby a conversation with the directors.

9:00 p.m.One Day in September (Kevin MacDonald). A gripping account of the attackon Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics, weaving archival footagewith contemporary interviews.

Sunday, October 29

1:30 p.m.Senorita Extraviada (Missing Young Woman) (Lourdes Portillo, 2001). Ahaunting investigation into the disappearance of hundreds of young womenin Juárez, Mexico. Preceded by There Are Women in Russian Villages (PavelKostomarov and Antoin Kattin, 2006), a troubling look at the feminizationof poverty in Russia, where women are the poorest members of thepopulation.

4:00 p.m.Life and Debt (Stephanie Black, 2001). An unsparing depiction of theimpact of globalization on Jamaica,with narration written by JamaicaKincaid.

6:30 p.m.The Inner Tour (Ra'anan Alexandrowicz, 2001). A story of a group ofPalestinians traveling around Israel for the first time, filmed justmonths before Middle East tensions escalated in 2000.

9:00 p.m.Liberia: An Uncivil War (Jonathan Stack and James Brabazon, 2004). Aninside look at the civil war in Liberia and the siege of its capital,including exclusive interviews with President Charles Taylor. Followed bya conversation with the director.

Alwan for the Arts and 3rd i NY LaunchCollaborative Monthly Film & Video Series @ Pioneer Theater

Every 3rd Tuesday of the month join us for the best in features, docs,& shorts that increase awareness of the creative vitality andsociopolitical realities of the Middle East, South Asia, and theirdiasporas. Given the historical and cultural affinities between thesegeographic regions, as well as the contemporary political landscape,these two cultural organizations are beginning a series of programming& marketing collaborations that encompass film, video, music, visualart, and literature, culminating in a week-long film festival in March2006. In an environment that turns these communities into enemies ofthe west, we find strength in creating alliances to provide morenuanced, yet genuinely critical views to New York audiences.The dialogue and networking will continue at the complimentary pizza &drinks receptions after every screening in the Pioneer Series!

INAUGURAL SCREENINGA Special Screening & Discussion to benefit The Freedom Theatre of JeninDirector Juliano Mer Khamis will be present by Q&A moderated bythe Ad-Hoc Coalition for Justice in the Middle East

ARNA'S CHILDREN tells the story of a children's theatre group in Jeninrefugee camp that was established by Arna Mer Khamis. Arna, an Israelifrom a zionist family,married a Palestinian, Saliba Khamis. thetheatre group she founded helped Jenin's children to express theeveryday frustrations, anger, and fear of life under Israelioccupation. Arna?s son Juliano filmed the children during rehearsalsfrom 1989 to 1996.

After the battle of Jenin in April, 2002, Juliano went back to seewhat happened to those children. Yussef committed a suicide attack,Ashraf was killed in the battle of Jenin, and Ala leads a resistancegroup. The director looks back and tries to understand the choicesmade by the children he loved and worked with, and the tragedy andhorror of lives trapped by the Israeli occupation.

Followed by Q&A with the Director & further conversation at the FreePizza Reception at downstairs Den of Cin!

**Portions of the Proceeds to benefit The FreedomTheatre in Jenin Refugee Camp**http://www.thefreedomtheatre.org/**__________________________________________________About Alwan for the ArtsAlwan for the Arts serves the Middle East and North African populationand educates the broader community by providing access to the range ofMiddle Eastern and North African arts; thereby enriching thecross-cultural and artistic encounter. Since 1998, Alwan for the Artshas played a leading role in promoting the diverse cultures of theMiddle East and North Africa in New York City. It organized filmfestivals and screenings, book/poetry readings and signings, lecturesand conferences, art exhibits, musical and theatrical performances,and language and literature classes. In 2003, Alwan established acenter in lower Manhattan which provides a physical base for itsdiverse cultural activities. For more info: www.alwanforthearts.org

About 3rd i NY3rd i New York's monthly film and music salon designed by localfilmmakers and experimental DJs showcases the works of independentfilmmakers of South Asian descent and local djs, musicians andelectronica artists. Providing alternative forums for South Asianfilmmakers who often have few venues to showcase their work not onlyincreases their visibility, but also provides a social forum for peersand audiences to participate in an ongoing discussion. For more infovisit: www.thirdi.org/~ny

3rd i NY events are made possible in part through public funds fromthe Fund for Creative Communities/New York State Council on the ArtsDecentralization Program, administered by the Lower Manhattan CulturalCouncil.

About The Ad Hoc Coalition for Justice in the Middle East The Ad HocCoalition for Justice in the Middle East is a grassroots strategicalliance of concerned organizations and individuals in New York,formed to demand an immediate, unconditional, and permanent end toU.S.-sponsored Israeli aggression in the Middle East. In response tothe continuing injustices committed by Israel, which constitute grossviolations of international law, the Ad Hoc Coalition stands with thepeople of the Middle East in their demands for justice, equality,democracy, and respect for human rights. For more info:www.mideastjustice.org <http://www.mideastjustice.org/>______________________________________

Zeeshan's shared items

Zeeshan Suhail is a communications professional with several years of experience in international private sector and development organizations. He is a Board Member for the Washington, D.C.-based Americans for Informed Democracy and the New York City-based World Faith. His articles on international development and Western-Muslim world relations have been featured in media outlets internationally. Zeeshan has advanced leadership certifications and has been selected as a Carnegie New Leader by the Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs and a Muslim Leader of Tomorrow by the Cordoba Initiative.
Zeeshan holds an undergraduate degree in International Business from Queens College-CUNY (where he was also the first Muslim Vice President of student government in the college's then 35 years of student government history) and a graduate degree in International Relations from the Graduate Center-CUNY. Zeeshan is fluent in Urdu, and proficient in other South Asian languages and enjoys independent cinema, old South Asian film songs and traveling. He is based in Lahore, Pakistan.